Soul Sacrifice – Demon's Souls Invades the Vita?

The above tasty morsel popped up on the Japanese PlayStation site today. Though Atlus published Demon's Souls in North America, it's actually a Sony property. That's one reason Dark Souls, despite the vast similarities, had no story elements in common with its predecessor. (Though, I think it's safe to say Patches is just as much a hyena troll in the Tomb of Giants as he is anywhere in Demon's Souls.) Let's take a closer look at the teaser and the information at hand to discern if Sony is using a stone of ephemeral eyes on the series. More importantly, do I need to get a Vita now?

First off, the game's title contains the word Soul, in English no less. This is a loose connection, but even From Software kept the moniker going, though only after rejecting other names that they deemed inappropriate for the West.

Secondly, the game is oozing with dark fantasy, which is also the best fantasy. Again, in English, the game calls out fantasy. The black and white gameplay snippets don't look to be using the exact animations from Demon's Souls, but they could be. From using a proprietary engine, and I'm not positive that Sony would we re-cobble it for the Vita, or if it would port over.

On the website a little montage plays out after the teaser. Again in English, a sorcerer is called out while artwork of monsters dart around the screen, and more text hints at a complex multiplayer system. Saying "it's not cooperation", a big deal for the Monster Hunter commuter crowd in Japan. But this lack of cooperation seems to be a bluff, calling for "shoulder to shoulder" action required to topple the horrors at hand. That has the whiff of a true souls game.

My biggest strikes against this being a sequel or spin-off is that From Software doesn't seem to be involved. Japan Studio, who brought us the delightful Patapon, seem to be the developer. We won't have to wait long to find out how this rumor plays out, with the the full reveal scheduled for the 10th. Check back here for the complete story. I chose a good week to guest edit!

Update: The rumor grows! Japanese message boards are reporting that ex-Capcom developer, Keiji Inafune, is at the helm working with Marvelous.